In disk drive data storage systems it is necessary to position the transducer or head accurately over the disk by means of an actuator mechanism. These actuators must be able to achieve high precision movements, but at the same time be very compact in size.
Ball bearing assemblies have been used in linear actuators in disk drive systems. These ball bearing assemblies tend to have a relatively large number of parts which must be carefully assembled. Even with good assembly, the ball bearings themselves often have imperfections which add vibration to the actuator.
Another problem with ball bearings is that they tend to contribute contaminants to the disk drive environment. As the bearings are used, small particles are worn away. Even these small particles can interfere with the reading and writing of the disk. Lubricants from the bearings also add to the contamination.
Air bearings have also been tried in actuator systems. The air bearings are practically frictionless and contribute very little contaminants. However, air bearing actuators have tended to be rather bulky. Also, the air bearing actuators of the prior art have been hard to assemble because of the very high tolerance requirements.
What is needed is a compact air bearing actuator with few parts which is easy to assemble.